The present invention relates generally to crop harvesting machines and, more particularly, to improvements in hay harvesting machines utilizing an over-the-top pivoted drawbar to permit a lateral transport of the harvester by utilizing the pivoted drawbar as the towing instrument.
Generally, harvesting equipment, particularly hay harvesting equipment, has been manufactured with a transverse width that would permit transport thereof over the highway and through farm gates rearwardly of the prime mover. Although the hay harvesting machines commonly referred to as pivot tongue windrowers, such as the type shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,081,946 granted on April 4, 1978, to Philip J. Ehrhart, were generally wider in a transverse direction than previous pull-type hay harvesting machines, the centrally mounted pivoted drawbar permitted a towing of the harvester directly behind the prime mover in a centrally located position and, therefore, transport of the harvester in a normal orientation was not prohibited.
However, increasing transverse widths of such harvesting machines prevents the harvester from being towed over the highway and through restricted openings behind the prime mover in a normal orientation, necessitating the provision of alternate means of transporting the harvester. Two methods of transporting agricultural implements in a transverse orientations, which narrows overall transport width because the longitudinal length of the machines is less than the transverse width, can be seen in U.S. Pat. No. 3,962,853 and in U.S. Pat. No. 3,721,461. Such apparatus requires a movement of wheels, hitches, jacks, etc. to equip the harvester for movement in a transverse direction, including the disconnection and reconnection of appropriate hitches with the prime mover. Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a more conveniently used apparatus for transporting a harvesting machine in a transverse orientation to reduce the overall transport width of the harvester.